


The Blue Swordfish

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [270]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-26
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2019-03-09 15:31:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,570
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13484454
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: Valentine's Day comes early this year.





	The Blue Swordfish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [obi1mcgregor](https://archiveofourown.org/users/obi1mcgregor/gifts).



> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta team: Emila-Wan and Carol  
> Mali Wane and Laura McEwan for posting to the Master Apprentice ML  
> Travis for posting to the Master Apprentice Archive on AO3   
> Alex for inspiring Arcadia 
> 
> [obi1mcgregor](http://archiveofourown.org/users/obi1mcgregor/pseuds/obi1mcgregor)'s wonderful stories:  
> [One Enchanted Valentine ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397045)  
> [Delicious Memories](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4366013)  
> [A Four-legged Christmas](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4397123)  
> [Holiday Fun 'n Games](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3238931)  
> [Blessings](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4359476)  
> [An Arcadian Christmas](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4388378)  
> ['A Christmas Carol' in Alder Run](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9406760)
> 
>  
> 
> References:  
> [Theed Spaceport](http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Theed_Spaceport)  
> [brainyquote.com](http://brainyquote.com/)  
> [A Little Halloween Diplomacy](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4359473)
> 
>  
> 
> Here are the Valentine Arcadias:  
> 2004 -- [Valentines by Design](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1793572)  
> 2005 -- [Valentine's Day at the Gardens](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1819438)  
> 2006 -- [A Newlywed Valentine's Day](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1843597)  
> 2007 -- [Valentine's Morning](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1907910)  
> 2008 -- [Valentine's Night](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4149957)  
> 2009 -- [Valentine's Cruise](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4209441) (my favorite)  
> 2010 -- [Valentine Woods](http://archiveofourown.org/series/71628)  
> 2011 -- [Valentine Surprise](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4359491)  
> 2012 -- [Valentine Tuesday](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4388390)  
> 2013 -- [One Enchanted Valentine](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4388390) by obi1mcgregor  
> 2014 -- [Valentine's Year](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1183910)  
> 2015 -- [Valentines by Firelight](http://archiveofourown.org/works/3239003)  
> 2016 -- [Valentine Sweet Sixteen](http://archiveofourown.org/works/5728579)  
> 2016 -- [Valentined ](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6039943)  
> 2017 -- [Valentine Treat](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9549755)
> 
>  
> 
> To the late obi1mcgregor, with my love and thanks
> 
> She was an integral part of Arcadia, with her magic touch for writing our lads. We miss you already and will miss you always.

Quinn was a man on a mission.

Since Valentine's Day would be on a Wednesday this year, he had planned a surprise for Ian on the weekend before the holiday, with a little help from Artoo. Before he drove to the supermarket on the morning of Saturday, February 10th, he made an extra stop to help him in his quest. At the local party-supply shop, he looked for the perfect little gift to put his plan into action. As soon as he saw a tiny cherry-red blanket with white letters, asking, "Will you be my Valentine?" he knew it was just what he had wanted. He'd thought it was enchanting, especially for their adorable Chihuahua to snuggle under later today. He got the clever idea of folding one edge of it over, so it could hold a card for Ian.

He brought the blanket home with the rest of his purchases, hidden in plain sight in a brown paper bag. Luckily, Ian was engrossed in his course prep at his office in the second bedroom anyway. Artoo and Sandy greeted him with their usual yelps and licks, and Quinn gave Artoo a conspiratorial wink, which earned him an armful of happy puppy.

"How would you like to help out your da today?" asked Quinn, and his cute little ball of fur just cuddled closer to him and gave out a soulful yip that was a yes, if he had ever heard one. Before putting the groceries away, he made sure to hide the new blanket in the pajama drawer in the bedroom dresser, which Ian would be unlikely to open until tonight.

His lad strolled in when Quinn was in the kitchen and started helping him restock the cabinets, after they shared a quick kiss hello. He and Ian then spent part of the morning watching all of the coverage of the Olympics that they had time for today. Fortunately, the competition from PyeongChang was now broadcast live, and the time there was 14 hours later, so there were still many events going on.

* * *

At 5:30 that afternoon, Quinn was sitting in his office chair, when Artoo jumped into his lap to be petted. After a bit of quality time, Quinn draped the blanket around his puppy, who gave out a happy yip at its warmth. Artoo was used to having a blanket over him, since he went to sleep that way every night in his basket. And of course, Quinn would never forget how adorable Artoo had looked in the doll hats Lelia put on him for Halloween when she was little.

Making sure that the card was visible under the fold, he picked up Artoo and headed across the hall to the second bedroom. Ian was absorbed in writing his lecture notes for the coming Monday, so he didn't hear them approach. Quinn put Artoo down on the carpet and gave him a gentle pat to encourage him to go in to see Ian. The pup trotted into the office, eager to visit his other dad.

As soon as he heard the sound of tiny paws, Ian looked up from his book, a biography of Lord Byron. He grinned in delight when he saw Artoo, and his grin deepened after he read the message on his blanket. "Hello, ma wee pup. Did Dadaidh (Dad) send you in to see me?" He scooped up Artoo and cuddled him in his arms. Speaking louder, he said, "Quinn, do you have something to tell me?"

Quinn followed Artoo into the second bedroom and gave Ian a tender smile. "It's a wee bit early for it, but Valentines sasta la, mo grha! (Happy Valentine's Day, my love! in Irish)

Ian gently put Artoo on the carpet. "Never too early to celebrate, handsome." So saying, he got up to embrace his husband. "Toilichte Valentines latha, ma gradh! (Happy Valentine's Day, my love! in Scottish) And yes, I will be your Valentine."

Quinn beamed at him. "And I'm always yours, darlin'."

Their first Valentine kiss of the year was coffee-flavored, since both of them had been drinking vanilla cappuccinos while doing their course prep for Luke. Delizioso!

"What a lovely surprise you've given me," Ian murmured, his breath tickling the hairs of Quinn's sideburn.

"And it isn't over yet," said Quinn, kissing Ian's forehead.

Right on cue, Artoo yipped happily and put his paws on Ian's slacks, as if he knew his mission wasn't done yet, too. Sure enough, Ian bent down to pick him up once more. "What's this, I wonder?" he said when he saw the envelope peeking out of Artoo's blanket.

Quinn petted Artoo and scritched behind his ears. "Good boy!" He set the puppy down on the floor again, then took the blanket and ran its soft velour over Ian's cheek, which earned a brilliant grin from his lad. Quinn threw it over the back of the desk chair to have his fingertips free to touch the same spot on that downy cheek.

When Artoo scampered off to visit Sandy, both of them called out fond thank-yous to their puppy for his irreplaceable part in their Valentine romance.

"That was adorable, Quinn. Both of you went to a lot of trouble for me, and I really appreciate it." Ian opened the tantalizing envelope, with Quinn looking on in anticipation.

"Ah, a beautiful Valentine's Day card with a little something extra tucked inside," said Ian, an intrigued glint in his eye.

The card was large and had an iridescent heart on the front in all the colors of the rainbow. Inside, the words were pure Quinn, written in calligraphy, which he and Lelia had practiced together for years.

"My dearest Ian,

It's hard to believe that our 15th Valentine's Day together is right around the corner. It feels like we've known each other forever, but I can close my eyes and still smell the hot dogs we ate on that enchanted train ride to Massachusetts.

May the past fifteen years be only the beginning of our magical journey.

All my love,  
Quinn"

Quinn's words went straight to Ian's heart. "Oh, Quinn, this is wonderful. Thanks so much!" He gave his herven a kiss on the nose, which traveled down to his philtrum, then reached Quinn's soft mouth.

"You're welcome, laddie mine." Quinn licked his lips. "Mmmmm. All these luscious kisses, and you haven't even seen your present yet."

"You're my real gift, Quinn. Everything else is just gravy," said Ian dreamily. He snuggled into his husband's cream-colored Aran pullover.

Quinn snuggled back. "Ah, that's better than ennathin' on my card, lad."

And he was right.

An endless Moment later, Ian's curiosity finally got the better of him. He opened the card he was still clutching and saw the flap, which had a gift card inside. It was for a seafood restaurant, which was located beside Lake Paonga in the town of Gonzaga, about twenty minutes away from Alder Run on the Taconic Parkway. "Oh, Quinn! I've wanted to eat at 'The Blue Swordfish' forever. Must be our Jedi telepathy at work again. Thank you!"

"You're very welcome. Since you've been waiting to visit the restaurant for so long, how about a date tonight at 7?" Quinn asked. "'Twill be our Valentine Saturday Night."

 

"I'd just love it," Ian said. "You've even given us plenty of time to wash and change. My thoughtful hubby."

Quinn's eyes sparkled a wintry blue. "I made the reservation in advance, in case you wanted to take me up on it." He knew that many other couples were taking advantage of the Saturday night before Valentine's Day to celebrate, because Wednesday was a workday.

"I'll get started on my shower now -- I'm using the guest bathroom." Ian realized that there wasn't enough time for them to make love now, if they wanted to get to the restaurant by 7. They liked to allot extra time for travel on their first visit to a new place.

This got a big smile from Quinn; he knew better than to argue with Ian's kindness. His lad was indulging him in return by letting him luxuriate in the rainfall shower today. "See you in a few." He dropped a kiss on Ian's hair.

They headed down the hall to start their ablutions, with Ian pausing to give an impetuous pat to his husband's backside. He'd already started thinking about how to return the favor of Quinn's early Valentine gift. About fifteen minutes later, they met in the master bedroom, shaved, showered, and dressed.

Ian had put on a tan vest over his baby-blue button-down shirt, and chosen a pair of latte-brown slacks to go with them. He wore a cinnamon jacket, and his overcoat was already on the bed. Quinn had decided upon a pale green shirt over espresso-brown slacks. His suede jacket looked like it was made of milk chocolate. The professors were as delicious as their earlier cappuccinos!

Both of them wore silk ties -- Ian's in turquoise, Quinn's in forest green. Their Clark's dress shoes completed their outfits. Ian had run a comb through his hair, but its natural spikiness refused to be tamed. Quinn's hair was winter-long, and he tied it partly back with the tooled leather strip Ian had given him during Alder Run's 300th anniversary celebration.

They barely had time for one more kiss before heading out to the restaurant, and they savored it. Even though they wore coffee colors, the taste of their cappuccinos was long gone by now, but both of them preferred each other's natural taste anyway. Winter offered such a rich tapestry of textures for their hands to enjoy when they embraced one another. Quinn warmed his hands by dipping them beneath Ian's vest at the waistline; Ian's fingertips played over the suede of Quinn's jacket.

Luckily, Sandy chose that moment to let out a woof, which was a timely reminder of their dinner reservation. They stopped by the kitchen to cuddle the puppies and to make sure their bowls were filled. Ian snapped on their C-3PO nightlight, inspiring a yap from Artoo.

Ian decided to drive the Audi, because it had a better heating system than the THX, a necessity when it was already only 7 degrees above zero. The men were grateful that they were up-to-date with shoveling the driveway as they bundled into the car. Ian took a couple of minutes to look at the GPS to locate the restaurant, then they were off.

It was a pleasant drive, with the Taconic Parkway completely cleared of the latest snow. Quinn saw a flock of chickadees outside his window to their right, and a snowshoe hare leaped between the pine trees. They arrived at 'The Blue Swordfish' at 6:50, to find it bustling with couples and families out for a Saturday night on the town. The parking lot was so busy, it reminded Ian of the Theed Spaceport. Quinn whistled when he saw a vintage Marcadian Luxury Cruiser, its sleek silver lines seeming to defy gravity. Despite the fact that they had a reservation, the men had to wait seventeen minutes before being seated, because most of the galaxy had decided that this was the night to celebrate Valentine's Day.

They spent the time waiting at the bar, ordering two mugs of mulled hard cider and munching on some mixed nuts. Fortunately for them, the Luke Skyhawks and the Darthmouth Maulers were playing basketball on television, so they watched the game while they waited, cheering the Hawks on.

Luke was ahead when they were called by the hostess because their table was ready. She escorted them to a cozy table in the inglenook, the corner near the fireplace. Handing them their menus, she lit the candle at the center of the table and gave them a smile as she went back to her station.

The walls around them had oil paintings of lighthouses and clipper ships at full sail. Altogether an enchanting setting for a romantic Valentine's Day meal.

"Oh, Quinn, what a wonderful way to celebrate! Trust you to choose such a delightful place." Ian picked up his menu, going from one delicious choice to the next.

Quinn's eyes shone a mellow blue. "I'm glad you like it, love."

After much pondering, Ian decided on seafood gumbo, which came with spinach and melted goat cheese as a side dish. Quinn wanted crabmeat au gratin, with a side of wilted greens in champagne vinaigrette. Both of them had to have the lobster bisque. The waitress brought over their water glasses and a basket of crusty bread with olive oil, then took their orders. She mentioned that it would take a bit longer than usual for their meals to come out, because of the large crowd that night.

Ever philosophical, Quinn just shrugged at Ian and said, "Now we have more time to enjoy ourselves tonight."

Ian smiled into blue eyes aglow with firelight. "Lucky you made the reservation for so early in the evening."

They began to discuss their favorite romantic aphorisms, a perfect choice for today's early Valentine celebration.

Ian said, "One of the best is by George Sand: 'There is only one happiness in this life, to love and be loved'."

Quinn's eyes crinkled. "No wonder it resonates with you -- it sounds like Christian's line from 'Moulin Rouge' -- 'The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return'."

Ian winked at him. "Yeah, that must be why I like it."

They shared a chuckle, and Quinn reached out to touch Ian's wedding ring, as he said, "One of my favorites is a Bertrand Russell quote that sums up our little academic arcadia perfectly, to my mind -- 'The good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge'." This time, Quinn winked at his husband, and there was balance in the Force.

Ian was just about to answer when the waitress came by with their soup. The bisque was a beautiful orange color, with big chunks of lobster swimming in it. No more conversation for a bit, because they wanted to eat their soup while it was still hot. Quinn liked it so much that when he finished the last spoonful, he speared a piece of bread on his fork and ran it around the dish.

Ian's eyes twinkled; he knew if they were at home, Quinn would grab the bread with his hand. His husband was in pure date mode tonight, and he appreciated the courtliness.

A guitarist strolled around the restaurant and was currently a few yards away from them. He was playing 'Can't Help Falling in Love', one of the songs they had chosen for their second wedding reception. They savored the song as much as they'd savored the soup; this time, Ian reached for Quinn's ring hand.

After another fifteen minutes, their entrees came, with both the gumbo and crabmeat steaming in their plates. A few squeezes of lemon cooled it down, but it was still too hot to eat. Ian decided that blowing on his food was acceptable today, because it was their Valentine celebration, and Quinn decided not to call him on it for the very same reason. And truly, there were few provocative sights as delectable as this one for Quinn, and the fact that it was in public made it all the more tantalizing to him. He had to settle down in order to enjoy his meal properly.

Of course, Ian knew the precise effect he was having on his herven and relished it. Fifteen years, and Quinn was just as taken with him as when they'd first met. A longtime love that was forever new.

No fine meal was complete without its diplomatic niceties, which in this case meant Quinn forking a third of his crabmeat onto Ian's plate, and Ian returning the favor by spooning a third of his gumbo onto Quinn's plate. They took their time over the main course, mulling over possible desserts while they ate. After a playful round of high-level negotiations, coconut cream cake won the day.

Quinn finally put his fork down. "Mmmmm. That was as good a Valentine dinner as we've ever eaten, laddie mine." He was in high good humor by now. "And it isn't even over yet."

"It was wonderful of you to invite me, ma gradh," said Ian. "Everything couldn't be better."

"'Tis just what I'd hoped for," Quinn said simply.

When the waitress brought the cake to their table quite a while later, both of them realized that its sweetness was all but superfluous to their celebration. Through the years, they'd treated each other with such care, respect, and loving-kindness that their romance had flourished like the perennials in Quinn's garden. The Living Force surrounded them and bound them together, just as surely as it did Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan.

Quinn was hoping that Ian would engage in his habit of getting a bit of extra icing on his lips, especially because of his antics with the soup. Apparently, all bets were off this year. Sure enough, he was rewarded. Ian was becoming more and more subtle about his creamy indulgence, but that made it all the more satisfying to catch him doing it.

This time, the coconut cream was on the very corner of Ian's mouth on the right side. Quinn could almost taste it, along with Ian's natural flavor. There was so little icing, it was barely visible. But Quinn saw it with his Jedi-keen vision, and from the gleam in his eyes, Ian knew Quinn saw it. The tip of Ian's tongue peeked out for a tantalizing moment and swept it away.

Fortunately, the waitress had already brought the bill with their dessert, or she would have interrupted a very private moment in a public place. Of course, Ian used the gift card to pay for most of the meal, and Quinn took care of the rest of it with their joint MasterGuard, because he had invited Ian out to dinner this time.

When Ian drove home, Quinn did his best not to get frisky; as he kept reminding himself, the journey home was always quicker than the way there, or at least so it usually seemed. As soon as Ian locked the door behind him, they were in each other's arms. Luckily, the puppies were asleep, or they would have come running out to greet their dads.

The men kissed and kissed some more, making up for all the times in the restaurant when they had wanted to. It took Jedi restraint and a couple of chuckle-snorts, but they hung up their good clothes before heading for the bathrooms, with Quinn insisting that Ian take the master bath this time.

When the men met in the master bedroom, they were ready to play. Both of them were fresh from another shower, so they headed straight for the bed.

"What's your pleasure for the second part of our Valentine celebration tonight?" asked Quinn in a way that told his husband that anything goes.

Ian said simply, "You on top of me, drivin' me wild."

Indeed, Quinn could see from the light in Ian's eyes that he was already getting a bit wild. And he would do his best to ramp. it. up. He pounced on Ian, getting on his knees between his lad's legs, and sliding his hands up and down Ian's arms, then his upper thighs, his fingertips whispering over the little hairs in his path.

Ian shivered, craving the stimulation. "So good," he purred.

Quinn moved even closer to Ian, so he could use his thigh to caress his groin, pressing along Ian's cock and nudging his testicles, relishing every one of Ian's groans.

His cock hardening by the second, Ian reached down to touch himself, but Quinn was having none of it. He batted Ian's hand away and replaced it with his own. The only thing Ian could do was whimper. Quinn's huge hand engulfed his erection with blessed warmth and pressure, then moved up and down, over and over, just as he had earlier on Ian's arms and thighs.

Quinn leaned down to kiss Ian, using his arms to keep much of his weight off him, but Ian pulled him down the rest of the way. Locking eyes with his herven, Quinn started to move, feeling their chests dance in a delicious glide, just as their cocks were sliding together below. Ian stroked his foot over the curve of Quinn's calf as he surged up, yearning for as much sensation as he could take. One luscious kiss followed another, until both of them were harder than duranium.

When Ian's hips moved just the right way, that was it. Gushes of cream blended as they streamed onto their stomachs, groins, and thighs. With pure Jedi strength, Quinn rolled off his husband before his weight became oppressive, sweating and panting beside him.

"Wow!" Ian said, when he could talk again. "Will you be my Valentine?"

"Where's my blanket?" Quinn teased.

Giving him a look that was a mixture of indulgence and incredulity, Ian started to get out of bed. But Quinn held him fast with a caress to his cheek, his fingertips sticky and scented with their cream.

"Yes, lad, I will be your Valentine -- both here and now, and forever."

Just then, Artoo yipped happily in his basket, content with his Valentine adventure with his dads.


End file.
